Scientific Intelligence. — Anatomy. 201 



placed a thin piece of muscle, retaining its nerves, under the mi- 

 croscope, and made it contract b)? means of galvanism. The 

 fibres contracted by bending in a zigzag manner, and the last 

 nervous filaments were seen to proceed parallel to each other 

 Irom the branch giving origin to them, to be inserted precisely 

 at the points where the fibres form their angles. 



ANATOMY. 



33. Sabulous Formation in the Brain. — Dr Bergmann of 

 Celle, in a memoir transmitted to the Royal Society of Gotten- 

 gen, gives an account of twenty cases of earthy granulations oc- 

 curring in the plexus choroides of the lateral ventricles of the 

 brains of insane persons. These earthy granulations resemble 

 those of the pineal gland. Mr Stromeyer examined both va- 

 rieties, and found their constitution similar, and of the following 

 nature : Phosphat of lime in large quantity, phosphat of mag- 

 nesia in small proportion, traces of carbonate of lime, and an 

 animal substance of an albuminous nature. — Bullet. Univ. c. x. 

 p. 128. 



ARTS. 



34. Water Works of the Ancient Romans. — It is an errone- 

 ous, but at the same time a prevailing opinion, that the ancient 

 Romans were unacquainted with some of the simplest laws of 

 the motion and pressure of water. This is, however, unfound- 

 ed, as Pliny informs us, as a general principle, viz. that water, 

 conducted in pipes or tubes, will always rise to the same height 

 with the fountain from which it flows. The water was con- 

 ducted by the Romans into their buildings, either by channels 

 constructed of masonry, or by means of wooden pipes, or even 

 of earthen ware ; and allowed a descent of one foot in sixty for 

 the flow of water, which was admitted into a reservoir, divided 

 into three equal compartments, after it had been brought within 

 the walls of the city ; one to supply the pools and fountains, a 

 second for the baths, and a third for the palaces and private 

 houses. The pipes used by them were of lead, about ten feet 

 long, seven inches and a half in the bore, and a quarter of an 

 inch thick *. However, they were very averse to the use of 



• Specimens of Roman leaden pipes are preserved in the Museum of Na- 

 tural Philosophy in the University. 



